


It's Time To Count Down (From Seven to One)

by thesaddestofbeans



Series: Seven to One [1]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But You Don't Have To Have Read It, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I Just Feel Bad For Hurting Everyone So Take This, It's Technically A Prequel, It's just pure fluff, M/M, To My Last Fic, idk what else to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 17:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16748524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesaddestofbeans/pseuds/thesaddestofbeans
Summary: Post Colony-6 AU where Shulk and Reyn fall in love during their journey.This is technically a prequel to We Had Already Lost but that one takes place later in the game and is. much more angsty. You don't have to have read it to read this one.Take my fluffy bullshit.Be happy.





	It's Time To Count Down (From Seven to One)

Neither Shulk nor Reyn had expected Dunban and Dickson to pop practically out of nowhere during their fight for Colony Six.

Neither of them expected to be saved from certain death by a beast of almost mythical proportions, either. And that’s what the Telethia was- something dark and powerful heard of only in legends and Dickson’s fantastic stories.

Reyn’s pretty sure that was when he first realized he really, truly might die on this harebrained race across the Bionis. No matter how many people they find along the way, no matter how good they might be or how tough their armor, there were things that dwelled in this land that surpassed everything the Homs thought they knew and it was only a matter of time before their luck ran out. Who knew if it would be today, or tomorrow, or the day after that- their world would eventually be consumed by an unstoppable force of fire and ether.

But hey, they got out alive this time, if not a little roughed up. So, as always, it’s time to move on.

Satorl Marsh was, once the sun faded from the sky, one of the most beautiful places Reyn had ever seen. It hadn’t taken the group long to make their way through the pass connecting it to Colony Six, and once they did the pulsing clouds of ether that greeted them sent them all into an awed silence.

No one spoke until they reached a camp of Nopon merchants. Sharla was the first one to spot them, with Dickson quick to suggest that the ragtag group of Homs settle with them for the night. Their party, weary from days on the road and the fight with Xord, was quick to agree.

“You kids sleep well,” chuckled Dickson as everyone began to settle down. “You’ll need your strength for the trip ahead.”

Reyn was out the moment his head hit the ground. He woke once or twice in the night to the sounds of the marsh around them, but what finally roused him was Shulk cursing as he tripped over a root protruding from the ground. The boy looked around briefly, as if to make sure everyone was still asleep, before wandering further out into the mist.

Reyn waited a few moments before following after him. Once he was sure, he called out, “Shulk? You here?”

He could have sworn he saw him walk along this path.

“Shulk!” He tried again. He was a ways from where the rest of them had set up camp- not far enough to be lost, per say, but far enough that they couldn’t be seen through the light fog.

An unruly shock of blond hair popped up behind a fallen tree, followed by the rest of a distressingly concerned Shulk. “What?”

Reyn chuckled. “There you are. No need to look so worried- I just wanna talk.”

“Oh! Of course, come sit with me. I found a nice spot to rest, I think. This tree is pretty unique. There may even be some way to climb it.” He gestured, not at the sideways tree he was leaning against, but the one emerging proudly from the shallow bog not even ten meters away. “Everything here is prettier at night, too. I can’t believe it.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Reyn laughed nervously. The ether around them made Shulk practically glow as the redhead vaulted over the tree trunk and sat beside him. “This place is amazing. It’s not even all that far from home, is it? We’ve only been traveling for a week, not including the time we spent exploring the plains and the ether mines.”

“Yeah. Amazing, isn’t it? It feels like the attack on the colony happened a lifetime ago.” Shulk sighed and leaned his head on Reyn’s shoulder.

The redhead’s heart nearly burst out of his chest. “Y- yeah.”

“I know that we’re in too far to turn back, but... Wouldn’t it be amazing to spend the rest of our lives here? Or on the plains, out where no one can find us? Every day could be like this, just wandering from place to place with no worries about who we have to be or what we have to live up to.” Shulk shifted closer to Reyn and sighed. “No worries about whether we’ll live through tomorrow.”

There was a moment of silence between the two before Reyn reached out and took Shulk’s hand in his. “We’ll just have to make sure we hold out until the end.”

“No!” Shulk jolted upright, his hand tightening around Reyn’s. “I don’t want to- I don’t want to be scared anymore. Of my future, of  _ anything _ . I don’t want to agonize over what might happen until I don’t have a choice anymore. Reyn, I...”

Reyn used his free hand to guide Shulk halfway onto his lap and stroke comfortingly along his spine. “Then what do you want?”

The blond pulled back slightly, his eyes glittering in the low light. “I want... To be happy.”

He fell forward, their lips catching between one whisper of breath and the next. Reyn melted into the soft brush of skin against skin- enchanted by the tender caress of Shulk’s body against his own. “Gods,  _ Shulk _ ...”

They took a moment to soak each other in, foreheads pressed together in a gentle embrace. Shulk laughed breathlessly. “I could do this for all eternity.”

Reyn left a brief, tender kiss on his lips before pulling away. “Dickson was right, though. We should get some sleep before we move on.”

The blond still pressed forward, brushing gentle lips against Reyn’s. “I don’t think I can sleep after this... Though it’s not like I was sleeping much before.”

“I’m sure you’ll sleep well enough if we share a blanket. We did it all the time as kids.”

“I feel like it’s a little different now,” Shulk giggled.

His laughter always was infectious. Reyn couldn’t help but tuck his head into the crook of Shulk’s neck and chuckle along with him.

Once they both quieted down a bit, Shulk pushed Reyn back a bit and brushed the hair out of his face. “You’re right, though. We should head back.”

Reyn refused to let go of the blond for a moment longer. “This won’t end here, will it?”

“Of course not.” Shulk brushed one last kiss against the other boy’s forehead. “I promise, Reyn.”


End file.
